“Social history is, most elementally, food history. Jane Ziegelman had the great idea to zero in on one Lower East Side tenement building, and through it she has crafted a unique and aromatic narrative of New York’s immigrant culture: with bread in the oven, steam rising from pots, and the family gathering round.” — Russell Shorto, author of The Island at the Center of the World 97 Orchard is a …
97 Orchard is a richly detailed investigation of the lives and culinary habits—shopping, cooking, and eating—of five families of various ethnicities living at the turn of the twentieth century in one tenement on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. With 40 recipes included, 97 Orchard is perfect for fans of Rachel Ray’s Hometown Eats; anyone interested in the history of how immigrant food became American food; and “foodies” of every stripe.
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A terrific book that gave great insight into the culture of the immigrants and the foods that they brought to America, all centered around one tenement building in New York City. Absolutely fascinating
Great telling of the mix of cultures in New York, and their native cuisines. Really holds your interest; characters are very real.
A very interesting way to learn about life during the Great Immigration to America – The author describes the lives of four immigrant families living in the same tenement house by looking at their ethnic foods. It’s an interesting study of how their foods were also assimilated into our country. I especially liked the description of life on Ellis …
97 Orchard simultaneously provides insight into the immigrant experience, eating habits and the evolution of American cuisine (particularly the ways in which ethnic foods first began to influence it), and life in New York circa 1900. Each of these topics could be its own volume, and in the case of, say The Long Way Home or The Food of a Younger …
I ended up skimming this book because it wasn’t what I expected.
Reading this book helped me to understand some of my family’s traditions and ethnicity by placing them in a historical context.
Very quick read about immigrant’s lives in a NYC tenement in the 1800’s, as told through their food traditions. After seeing my copy, my book club decided to read this for our next book.
Interesting
Terrific slice of our nation’s immigrant history
I love our immigration story told thru food. New York is such an interesting City!